Lower House ok's Ombudsman budget, no questions asked

In the eyes of Lower House members, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez may be one of the “most wanted" government officials for evading impeachment proceedings against her. Yet, oddly enough, the budget of her constitutional office breezed through the plenary on Wednesday. Right after the proposed P1.109-billion budget for 2011 of the Office of the Ombudsman was tabled for discussion, the House leadership immediately terminated the period of interpellation and debate since not one lawmaker expressed intention to ask questions. Asked why the lawmakers let off the Ombudsman’s budget so easily, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas said they simply showed respect for the institution. “We gave the Office of the Ombudsman the privilege of passing the budget without any interpellation. This shows that, at least, the House believes in the institution [of the Ombudsman] as protector of the people," he said in a text message to GMANews.TV Tupas is chairman of the House justice committee that is tasked to hear the two impeachment complaints against Gutierrez, a task that the Ombudsman herself made more difficult by filing a motion with the Supreme Court to stop the hearings. In a separate text message, Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III said he believes “all the issues [with regards to the Ombudsman budget] were resolved at the committee level." During the committee hearing last month, Lower House stalwarts had more time to grill Gutierrez. (See: Lawmakers, Ombudsman face off during budget hearing) In that hearing, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello asked Gutierrez how she could dare ask the chamber to approve her office’s budget, when she has refused to appear before the justice committee’s hearing on the impeachment cases against her. “You are defying the order of the House and yet you are begging us to approve your budget. How would you justify this contradiction in your behavior?" Bello said. Gutierrez, who seemed unperturbed by Bello’s remark, said it is her Constitutional duty to present the budget of her department. Bello then raised the issue of the Ombudsman’s low conviction rate under Gutierrez’s leadership based on the records of the Sandiganbayan. This issue was one of the grounds in the impeachment complaint filed by former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros. Bello also cited the Ombudsman’s alleged failure to speedily investigate the death of Navy Ensign Philip Pestaño, who military officials claim committed suicide in September 1995 although his family believed he was murdered for supposedly knowing irregularities within the Philippine Navy. Gutierrez has asked the Supreme Court to stop the House panel from hearing the impeachment complaints. She has yet to formally answer the complaints, which the committee found sufficient in form and substance.—Amita O. Legaspi/JV, GMANews.TV